Rating: 
Summary: Read it , its great.
Review: A book of this size usually takes me 1-3 days to read. This one took 2 weeks and I hated having to put it down. Its the story of a man whose only ambition was to be the best in his chosen profession. The book is full of interesting stories about the development of his race cars and driving techniques. A must read for anyone who enjoys motorsport.
Rating: 
Summary: Great insight into the complexity of motor racing
Review: Being thirtysomething and more familiar with European than American motor racing (for inexplicable reasons there seem to be a great divide there, as also Mark Donohue alludes to) this was not first on my list of must-read's. However, unable to escape continued references in Autoweek and picking up interest in technique and technical aspects through own amateur formula racing I decided to buy this book in November - with no regret.Donohue, while refraining from sidetracking into his personal life, nonetheless comes across as a whole human being, complete with anxiety, jealousy, hopes, fears, enthusiasm, disappointment, pride and competitive spirit. I would have liked to work with this man who was a gifted driver and a great pioneer in motorsports. His achievements were many and hereof his innumerous victories and role in building the Penske empire merely a part of the story. Donohue developed the "American", a.k.a. modern driving technique of braking, turning and accelerating in one smooth integrated action. He made strides in understanding aerodynamics, suspension geometry, "bumpsteer", tyre applications and basically all other aspects of driving and setting up a race car. He drove almost all on-road racecar types of the era, including Nascar, Canam, Transam, LeMans, Formula 1, IROC, Formula A - unlike most other drivers, he were involved in several completely different race programs in the same season; a tremendous effort. Reading this book will give you an appreciation of the complexity of setting up and keeping a race car competitive. It will not teach you how to do it but you may just have the interest to find out once you have been smitten by Donohue's indomitable thirst for knowing what makes a car do what under which circumstances and what you in turn can do to get the most out of it.
Rating:
Summary: Changes your life
Review: Donohue's apparent candidness and ability to give about the right amount of technical detail without getting boring weaves you through a history of this period of racing when a few guys could do all the race prep. They lived a hard life on the road. Donohue divorced. A rare look from an engineer driver's point of view and the sometimes austere and lonely life of racing. Roger Penske was his team owner and is commented on from Donohue's point of view. Somehow this book changes you as a person as you seem to experience Donohue's racing life though an un-glossed writing style. This style is part of the secret of the books greatness. Though it was likely edited by someone it was NOT "normalized" to be a standard bland coffee table book. Instead it remains in character to the situations and people involved. A rare look into someone else's professional life. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book By a Great Driver
Review: Donohue's book was insightful, telling of his good and bad fortunes over the years and his experiences were great. I found it ironic that he retired before making the book, then got back into racing to only die soon after his book was published. The book is easy to understand and has some good stuff to quote. Wish I could have been around to meet Mark Donohue...
Rating:
Summary: Great Book By a Great Driver
Review: Donohue's book was insightful, telling of his good and bad fortunes over the years and his experiences were great. I found it ironic that he retired before making the book, then got back into racing to only die soon after his book was published. The book is easy to understand and has some good stuff to quote. Wish I could have been around to meet Mark Donohue...
Rating:
Summary: No auto library is complete without The Unfair Advantage
Review: I remember being in college in the '70's and seeing ads in Road & Track for this book. It sold back then for about $12.00 (first editions, no less!) Unfortunately, a full tank of gas in those days was $2.75 and a bag of White Castle hamburgers was less than $2.00, so the book was out of reach. And then it went out of print, became a classic and got further out of reach. About 8 years ago, I found a copy in our local library and finally got a chance to read it - which I did in one sitting. It was like having Mark Donahue sitting next to you spinning some yarns, telling tall tales and explaining "what it's like out there." I met Mark's son, David, a few years after that at a Porsche club meeting and asked if he had a copy of the book to sell! He told me he didn't even have one for himself. He did say that there was talk of doing a reprint and lucky for us, it has happened. If you want to relive one of the most exciting periods in racing (with remarkable insights into the growth of the Roger Penske juggernaught), by all means get yourself a copy of this book. I just received the soft cover version and it's a keeper. Another wonderful racing book is Sterling Moss's - "All But My Life."
Rating:
Summary: No auto library is complete without The Unfair Advantage
Review: I remember being in college in the '70's and seeing ads in Road & Track for this book. It sold back then for about $12.00 (first editions, no less!) Unfortunately, a full tank of gas in those days was $2.75 and a bag of White Castle hamburgers was less than $2.00, so the book was out of reach. And then it went out of print, became a classic and got further out of reach. About 8 years ago, I found a copy in our local library and finally got a chance to read it - which I did in one sitting. It was like having Mark Donahue sitting next to you spinning some yarns, telling tall tales and explaining "what it's like out there." I met Mark's son, David, a few years after that at a Porsche club meeting and asked if he had a copy of the book to sell! He told me he didn't even have one for himself. He did say that there was talk of doing a reprint and lucky for us, it has happened. If you want to relive one of the most exciting periods in racing (with remarkable insights into the growth of the Roger Penske juggernaught), by all means get yourself a copy of this book. I just received the soft cover version and it's a keeper. Another wonderful racing book is Sterling Moss's - "All But My Life."
Rating:
Summary: Great Read - Worth the Expense
Review: In many ways I sought after and bought this book because of its collector value and mistique. I was very surprised, however, to find that it is well written and quite and interesting read. The book is organized around the various cars that Donahue raced throughout his career, until his first (and unfortunately not permanent) retirement. He discussed the people involved in each of the cars, the challenges faced, mistakes made, and unfair advantages gained through innovation, preparation, and discovery. He is surprisingly candid about his own failings and feelings, but it is strictly professional. There are really only a handful of sentences that speak about his private life. If you are interested in American racing throughout the 60's and early 70's this is a fascinating book. Donahue comes accross as insightful, humble, and at times insecure. It is a remarkable contrast to the overwhelming ego presented in books like FASTER! by Jackie Stewart. It's not an easy book to find, nor inexpensive, but if you are interested in the genre it is well worth the trouble and expense.
Rating:
Summary: The Unfair Advantage
Review: It has been 30 years since Mark Donohue won the Indianapolis 500 (1972). My, how time flies! Mark was the at the peak of his career when his life was snuffed out in a race car crash. Mark Donohue and Roger Penske completely revitalized autoracing and changed everybody's thinking about how to run a successful auto racing team. Mark and Roger took auto racing to new levels of professionalism. Gone were the days of t-shirts and oily blue jeans, replaced by clean uniforms. Gone were the days of hamburgers and french fries, replaced with healthy food for the crew. Gone were the days of towing of the race car on an open trailer pulled by a rusty old pickup truck, replaced by semi-trailer trucks. His book "The Unfair Advantage" should be manditory reading for any race car driver or business professional. If you expect to get a head in the game of life, you should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Unfair Advantage
Review: It has been 30 years since Mark Donohue won the Indianapolis 500 (1972). My, how time flies! Mark was the at the peak of his career when his life was snuffed out in a race car crash. Mark Donohue and Roger Penske completely revitalized autoracing and changed everybody's thinking about how to run a successful auto racing team. Mark and Roger took auto racing to new levels of professionalism. Gone were the days of t-shirts and oily blue jeans, replaced by clean uniforms. Gone were the days of hamburgers and french fries, replaced with healthy food for the crew. Gone were the days of towing of the race car on an open trailer pulled by a rusty old pickup truck, replaced by semi-trailer trucks. His book "The Unfair Advantage" should be manditory reading for any race car driver or business professional. If you expect to get a head in the game of life, you should read this book.
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